This invention relates generally to water beds and more particularly relates to a water mattress of self-supporting construction.
Flotation sleeping systems and in particular water beds have been around for a long period of time and have been used extensively for therapeutic purposes for treatment of bedridden patients, such as burn patients. More recently they have achieved acceptance by the general public for sleeping systems. However, they have not received the wide acceptance of the general public because of a number of serious drawbacks to these types of sleeping sysems. Among these is the necessity of heating the water to provide adequate sleeping comfort. In addition, they are bulky, cumbersome, and generally extremely heavy. Also, they require a very rigid frame in order to contain the bladder or enclosure in which the water is contained. Some attempts have been made to construct a flexible frame for supporting the water container or bladder, but with time these devices have become distorted from the weight of the water. That is, the sides, ends or bottom have begun to bulge after a period of use.